Molding synthetic detergent superior in mechanical strength and containers molded therefrom

ABSTRACT

A SYNTHETIC DETERGENT CONTAINING 25 TO 95 PERCENT SODIUM SILICATE, WHICH HAS BEEN LIMITED TO THE ORDER OF 1 PERCENT OR AT MOST OVER 10 PERCENT FOR TECHNICAL REASONS, AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL SUCH AS GLYCERINE OR EHTYLENE GLYCOL IS MOLDED IN THE SAME MANNER AS SYNTHETIC RESINS SO AS TO MAKE A CONTAINER. VARIOUS CONTAINERS SUCH AS FOR WASHING OR DETERGENT CAN BE MADE OF DETERGENT ITSELF.

I) 1972 RINNOSUKE SUSUKI AL 3,663,449

MOLDING SYNTHETIC DETERGENT SUPERIOR IN MECHANICAL STRENGTH AND CONTAINERS MOLDED THEREFROM Filed April 30, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 19 72 RINNOSUKE SUSUKI T L 3,663,449

MOLDING SYNTHETIC DETERGENT SUPERIOR IN MECHANICAL STRENGTH AND CONTAINERS MOLDED THEREFROM 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 30,

W m I FIG 5 United States Patent 3,663,449 MOLDING SYNTHETIC DETERGENT SUPERIOR IN MECHANICAL STRENGTH AND CON- TAINERS MOLDED THEREFROM Rinnosuke Susuki, Tokyo, Hiroshi Hoshi, Narashino-shi,

and Jim Saito and Kiyoshi Moriki, Tokyo, Japan, assignors 'to Raion Yushi Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo,

Japan Filed Apr. 30, 1970, Ser. No. 33,470 Claims priority, application Japan, May 12, 1969, 44/ 36,426 Int. Cl. Clld 17/00 U.S. Cl. 252-174 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a synthetic detergent superior in mechanical strength and containers molded therefrom and, more particularly, to a synthetic detergent which is not likely to be crushed to powder when granulated and which is resistant to external forces such as tension, compression and bending and thus not subject to rupture when molded and containers molded therefrom.

The conception mechanical strength of synthetic detergents has been hitherto regarded as a synonym of the term crushing strength of their grains. This is reasonable because the use of powdery synthetic detergents as structural materials is quite beyond imagniation. In his previous patent application, the applicant molded a synthetic detergent slurry, regarding it as an equivalent to a molten synthetic resin, into plate, rod, or structures of any other desired geometry and applied such structures to containers for accommodation of a detergent. The present invention relates to a detergent as a structural material and provides a detergent superior in mechanical strength.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the molded container according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment; FIG. 3 is an appearance view of a detergent container molded from the composition according to the present invention; FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the container of FIG. 3; and FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of another embodiment of the detergent container.

DETAILED RESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One feature of the detergent according to the present invention is a high sodium silicate content. Compared to over to at most sodium silicate as is the case with conventional detergents, it contains to 9.5% sodium silicate.

Another feature of the detergent according to the pre- 3,663,449 Patented May 16, 1972 sent invention is that it contains 1 or more percent polyhydric alcohol such as glycerine or ethylene glycol. It was found from experiments that the mechanical strength remarkably changes at approx. 3 polyhydric alcohol and attains its maximum at 4 to 5% and that it does not vary so much with additionally increased polyhydric alcohol contents. The water solubility of the detergent decreases as the content of polyhydric alcohol increases. In addition, the polyhydric alcohol is relatively expensive. Therefore, it is not profitable to add it in larger amounts.

The reduction of solubility with higher contents of the polyhydric alcohol can be compensated for to some extent by adding a corresponding amount of foaming agent so as to render the molded product cellular, but it is to be noted that the addition of a foaming agent is not a requisite for the composition in question.

The present invention will now be illustrated by the following examples.

, EXAMPLE 1 1) Composition: Percent ABS-Na 16 Sodium silicate 57 Sodium sulfate 25.5 Foaming agent 0.5 Glycerine 1 (2) Shape: Sphere of approx. 2 mm. in diameter when foamed at 150 C. after granulated by stirring. (3) Mechanlcal strength: Crushed with a static load of approx. 150 g. on the average. (Note: Approx. 2.30 g. on the average for conventional synthetic detergents.)

EXAMPLE 2 (1) Composition: Percent LAS-Na 16 Sodium silicate 55 Sodium sulfate 26 Ethylene glycol I 3 (2) Shape: Sphere of approx. 2 mm. in mean diameter.

(3) Mechanical strength: Crushed with a static load of approx. 250 to 300 g.

- EXAMPLE 3 (1) Composition: Percent LAS-Na 16 Sodium silicate 40 Sodium sulfate 37 Foaming agent 2 Glycerine 5 (2) Shape: Rod of 5 mm. in diameter and 50 mm. in

length.

(3) Mechanical strength: Broken with a load of g. on the average when used as a cantilever whose span is 30 mm.

superior mechanical strength will be explained.

This is a completely novel invention having no prior art to be compared with. Clothes basket or the like have been used as containers for washing. Usually in the home, the washing is placed in such a determined container and, when to be washed, transferred therefrom into a washing machine. Then some detergent is separately added. According to the present invention, on the contrary, the washing can be put into the washing machine together with its container, for the container itself is made of detergent. Therefore, the washer need not add any detergent separately.

FIG. 1 shows a container 1 embodied according to the present invention. The container 1 is provided with many windows 2. By the provision of these windows 2, the total weight of the container can be reduced and at the same time the mass of the container can be adjusted to suit to the quantity of the washing.

As described before, the detergent slurry according to the present invention can be molded just like molten synthetic resins. It was found that compression molding, injection molding, or other molding methods are applicable thereto with some modifications. Furthermore, the molded products can be bonded by heat or with adhesives as for polyolefine sheets. Hence, it is also possible to mold the basket-like container shown in FIG. 1 in sections and thereafter bond the sections to form a desired container, if it is impossible to be molded at a time. Besides the possibility of being molded like synthetic resins, the composition according to the present invention can include a foaming agent. As the foaming agent, a nitrogen-series foaming agent such as toluenesulfonyl hydrazide derivatives, azodicarbonamides or aromatic sulfonyl hydrazides is usually used. Foam molding takes place effectively when such a foaming agent is added in an amount of 0.1 or more percent. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the foam molded container. This container has a great number of cells 3 in the walls and shows increased solubility to water, thus permitting improved behaviour for the abovementioned purpose. These cells 3 also play the part of adjusting the mass of the detergent constituting the container in the same way as the windows 2 of the first embodiment in FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, containers for detergent as other examples of the container molded from the composition according to the present invention will be explained.

Detergents, especially powdery synthetic detergents, are normally on the market in cartons, plastic buckets or plastic bags. While these containers have their own merits and features, they serve only as packages. After they have played their part in storage, transportation and marketing display, they become a mere waste when the content has been exhausted by the consumer. The present invention provides a detergent package made of detergent itself and adapted to be used as the detergent in proper sections after the content has been exhausted.

. In FIGS. 3 and 4, a hollow prismatic container reinforced by ribs 11a is designated at 11 and a cover at 12. Important is that the container itself is made of detergent. Similarly to synthetic resins, the detergent according to the present invention is compression or injection molded at 80 C. to 180 C. using a metal mold having a cavity of desired shape. When a nitrogen-series foaming agent of the toluenesulfonyl hydrazide or azodicarbonamide type is added to the material in an amount of 0.1 to 5% and the resultant material is molded in the same manner as above, a container of cellular structure as shown in FIG. 5 at 101 with a cover at 102 can be obtained.

The container 11 or 101 is filled with such powdery synthetic detergents that are on the market at present or granular, hollow-block or multilayer synthetic detergents invented by the present inventors and applied separately for a patent, or the detergent slurry, and then the cover 12 or 102 is fixed. As for synthetic resins, the cover 12 may be fixed to the container 11 with an adhesive 13 or they may be bonded by heat. Since the composition is capable of being fused by heat, thermal bonding is possible.

In. the detergent package thus constructed, a label 14 may be preferably stuck thereon for description of the content. It may also be possible to print the container or cover to indicate the content, but the use of pigments as the printing ink must be avoided lest the washing be contaminated.

The mechanical strength of the container 11 or 101 and the cover 12 or 102 molded from the the synthetic detergent slurry is very high and substantially comparable to that of a carton, when the wall thickness is 10 to 15 mm.

In case of the cellular container in FIG. 5, its gastightness can be improved by applying, for instance, polyvinyl. alcohol on one or both of the sides on the molded container.

After the content has been exhausted, the washer may tear off part from the package and throw it into the washing machine, and it can be used as the detergent just the same as the content. Thus, the remainder is only a label. Especially when the container is foam molded, its solubility to water is satisfactory due to its cellular structure.

The invention will now be explained by one example.

EXAMPLE (1) Composition of the material for container:

(2) Molding conditions:

The material was poured into the cavity of a hollow prismatic mold in an amount of 400 g./ 1.8 lit. capacity of the cavity and heated at 150 C. for 30 minutes.

(3 Mechanical strength:

The resultant container was satisfactory in mechanical strength. The container and cover were bonded by heat.

Thus, according to this aspect of the present invention, the container and its content can be all used as the detergent without leaving any waste, so that this invention will also have a social meaning in that it will give a warning to the age of floods of relatively unsubstantial packages intended only to enhance the marketing effect.

What is claimed is:

1. A synthetic detergent, consisting essentially of 25 to weight percent sodium silicate, 1 to 5 weight percent polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of glycerine and ethylene glycol and 3 to 25 weight percent anionic sodium alkyl benzene sulfonates.

2. A synthetic detergent as claimed in claim 1, containing 0.1 to 5 weight percent of a nitrogen-series foaming agent selected from the group consisting of toluenesulfonyl hydrazide derivatives, azodicarbonamides and aromatic sulfonyl hydrazides.

3. A basket-like container made of a synthetic detergent as claimed in claim 1, said container being provided with multiple windows on the side walls thereof as means for adjustment of its mass.

4. A container having the shaped of a rectangular parallelopiped, made of the synthetic detergent of claim 2, said container being provided with a great number of voids in the wall thereof which serve as means for adjustment of its mass.

5. A hollow container made of the synthetic detergent of claim 1, said container being filled with a synthetic detergent, characterized in that:

(1) cover of the same detergent material is fixed to the top of said package;

(2) said container having a wall thickness of 10 to 15 6. A hollow container made of the synthetic detergent of claim 2 said container being filled with a synthetic deteregeht, characterized in that:

(1) a cover made of the same detergent material is fixed to the top of said package;

(2) said container has a wall thickness of 10 to 15 mm.

and the walls and cover are of a cellular structure.

7. The container of claim 4 having a polyvinyl alcohol coating.

8. The container of claim 6 having a polyvinyl alcohol coating. 1

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,247,122 4/1966 Schaafsma et a1. 252-134 5 2,987,484 6/1961 Lundberg et al. 252-474 3,097,057 7/1963 Takeuchi 252-174 3,197,332 7/1965 Champ 208--84 LEON R. ROSDOL, Primary Examiner 10 W. E. SCHULZ, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

